Margate man faces eviction for 'Block Brexit' sign

The sign has been put up across the windows of a Margate flat

A Labour activist who plastered a "Block Brexit" sign across the windows of his high-rise flat is facing eviction if he does not take it down.

Rob Yates, who lives in Margate's Arlington House, said he hopes it will add to the pressure for a second referendum.

He said he has refused to remove it because the issue is "too important".

Landlord Freshwater said the sign breached the terms of his lease, but it was not taking a political position.

Mr Yates commissioned the sign "BLOCKBREX.IT" to display across the flat's windows.

He said: "I think the brutal way that Brexit is being implemented needs a brutalist architecture and a brutalist style font to be saying actually the Brexit conversation isn't over.

"We need to be thinking strategically about what is the best Brexit for the UK."

'It's an eyesore'

Mr Yates claimed he had a positive response from his neighbours and has not had any complaints from the residents of Arlington House.

But Freshwater said that although it was "sympathetic to his views" he was "in breach of the terms of his lease".

It said if Mr Yates kept the sign up it would have no choice but to serve him notice.

Mr Yates said he has not received any complaints from neighbours

A spokesman said: "You just can't paper over the windows. There's no regard to his neighbours. It's an eyesore. We don't want to evict anyone but what choice do we have?"

Housing lawyer Russell Conway said landlords can get "quite tough and perhaps rightly so".

He said: "The vast majority of tenancy agreements will contain that provision forbidding signage."

Local councillor Chris Wells, who represents UKIP on Thanet District Council, said he was not worried by the campaign.

He said: "Every time somebody puts up a sign in Margate saying block Brexit I expect our phone goes and 10 more people join the cause to get out."

There is no council election taking place in Thanet this year.